Bow hunting thins deer by 119

COUNCIL BLUFFS — The second year of a bow-hunting program in Council Bluffs to reduce the deer population ended Sunday with 119 animals taken by hunters, said Public Health Director Donn Dierks. The season began Sept. 15.

“It's a good number considering the last two months had bad weather,” he said. “The weather in December and January wasn't too conducive to hunting deer. Because of the deep snow, the deer changed their movement patterns through the city.”

The vast majority of the deer killed — 116 — were does, with three bucks included as part of an incentive by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to get hunters involved in the program, according to Dierks.

“Everybody wants a trophy buck, and to get that in Council Bluffs you had to be part of the hunting program,” Dierks said. “The DNR was gracious to give us five buck tags.”

Hunters had to qualify to get one of those tags by killing four or more does, he said.

Although Dierks described the number of deer killed as being good, the payoff will come later because each doe killed could potentially have given birth to two or three fawns in the next year.

In all, 58 hunters participated in the program, each passing a bow-shooting proficiency test prior to the season.

In the city's first year of allowing bow hunting, just 48 does were killed.

To give participants more areas to hunt, the city expanded its range by opening up Sternhill Park on North Eighth Street, Fairmount Park and Fairview Cemetery. With the owners' consent, residential lands of three or more acres were also opened to hunting.

Agricultural-zoned lands, the only areas where hunting was allowed the first year, were again opened to hunting. All of the deer killed in the city parks were taken at Sternhill, Dierks said. While the hunters could keep their kills to eat, many were given to a program that processes the meat and delivers it to the needy in Pottawattamie County, he said.

Overall there were no problems, Dierks said, except for one unlicensed hunter who was found on private land without the owner's permission.

Despite the reduction in the deer population, it will take years before the city sees any noticeable results in terms of fewer deer problems, Dierks said. In 2009, the city picked up 151 dead deer from streets and properties, down slightly from 155 the previous year, he said.

As for next year, Dierks might put a cap on the number of hunters at 60 and possibly open up more hunting hours in the city's parks, he said.

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